Reservation-indicator.



A. HAMILTON.

RESERVATION INDICATOR. APPLICATION FILED JUNE I2, I913.

1,165,247, Patented Dec. 21, 1915.

Ti'om To 2 2 law l vibwaogm f cuLuMnIA PLANOGRAPH CO..WASHINGTDN. D. c.

TINTTED STATES PATENT @FFTCE.

ABRAHAM HAMILTON, OF MOOSE JAW, SASKATCHEWAN, CANADA.

RESERVATION-INDICATOR.

Application filed June 12, 1813.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, ABRAHAM HAMILTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Moose Jaw, in the Province of Saskatchewan, Dominion of Canada, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Reservation-Indicators; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains, to make and use the same.

This invention relates to certain novel and useful improvements in reservation indicators for passenger cars, and has particular application to a device adapted especially for use by the conductor of a sleeping car.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of a device which will enable a record to be kept whereby those seeking the knowledge may ascertain at a glance the number of berths occupied in the car, the number of passengers, the destination of each passenger and the total number of pas sengers.

A further object of the invention resides in the provision of a device of the character named which includesmeans for supporting collected tickets, passes and the like in such position with respect to other indications on the device that the locality of the owners of the tickets in the car will be indicated.

lVith the above and other objects in view the invention consists in the details of construction and in the arrangement and combination of parts to be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim.

In describing the invention in detail reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of reference denote corresponding parts in the several views, and in which Figure 1 is a front view of the device with the hinge door thereof closed and locked; Fig. 2, a rear view of the device; and Fig. 3, a front view of the device with the door in open position partly broken away.

Before entering into a detailed description of my invention, I will state briefly it embraces, among other features, a board ruled into a series of parallel columns, these parallel columns being divided into a series of sub-divisions or blocks by means of transverse parallel rulings. Certain of these parallel columns I call the reservation column, and it is designated with a term, such Specification of'Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 191.5.

Serial No. 773,339.

as berth or seat indicating its nature. Each sub-division of this column is designated to be marked to indicate a specific berth or seat. A second column which I call the passenger column is indicated by a term, such as No. of passengers, and each subdivision of this column is intended to be marked to indicate the number of passengers occupying the specific reservation indicated in the opposite sub-division of the reservation column. The third column I call the leaving station column, and it is indicated by a term designed to have written therein the name of the leaving station of the passenger or passengers indicated in the opposite sub-division of the passenger column. A fourth parallel column of the series I call the arriving station column, and each sub-division of this column is designed to receive the names of the arriving station of such passenger or passengers. I also provide supplemental spaces for indicating the drawing room and smoker of the sleeper.

Referring to the drawings the device is shown as comprising a housing A access to the interior of which is controlled by a hinge door 10 adapted to be secured in closed position by a locking device 11. The door 10 includes a glass pane 12 whereby the interior of the housing may be readily observed When the door 10 is locked in closed position. The inner face of the rear or back wall 13 of the housing is suitably treated to enable marl;- ings to be made thereon with the ordinary writing crayon, such markings being readily erased when desired. The inner face of the back wall 13 is provided with a plurality of vertical rulings 14 forming vertical col umns 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 28. At the top of the columns 15 and respectively are designations Berth L and Berth U meaning lower berth and upper berth. At the top of the columns 16 and 21 are designations No. of passengers, while at the top of columns 17 and 22 is the word From and at the top of columns 18 and 23 the word To At the top of the column 19 is the word Seats. Disposed upon the inner face of the back wall 13 is a plurality of horizontal rulings 24: which divide the various vertical column heretofore referred to into spaces 25. The spaces 25 of the columns 15 and 20 are numbered successively from 1 to 12 in a downward direction and the space 25 below the 12 in the column 15 is i a plurality designated D. R. to indicate drawing room and the bottom space in the column 15 is designated S. M. to indicate smoker.

Formed in the back wall 13 within the limits of the vertical column 15, 19 and 20 and intersecting the horizontal ruling 24 is of passages 26. Engaged through the uppermost and lowermost passages 26 within the limits of the vertical column 15 are the ends of an elastic strip 27, said ends of the strip 27 being suitably anchored against the rear face of the back wall 13. This strip 27 is drawn through passages 26 disposed within the column 15 and the ends of the portions of said strip drawn through these passages are suitably anchored against the rear face of the back wall 13. By this construction it will be apparent that there is provided in each of the s aces 25 of the column 15 a holding strap beneath which the tickets of the passengers may be inserted and held. Corresponding straps 2S and 29 are mounted in the perforations disposed within the columns 19 and 20 respectively, these straps 28 and 29 serving thesame purpose as the strip 27.

Assuming a sleeping car leaves Washingtion with two passengers for New York assigned to lower berth #2, one passenger "for Philadelphia assigned to upper berth #5, one passenger for Wilmington assigned to lower berth #7 and two seat passengers for Baltimore assigned to seats corresponding to berth #3. The use of the device under these conditions will be as follows: The sleeping car conductor will collect the tickets of the two passengers destined for New York and insert same under the por tion of thestrip 27 which overlies the space 25 in column 15 having the designation 2 therein. The conductor will then mark the number 2 in the second space from the top in column 16 thus indicating that two passengers are assigned to lower berth #2. In the second space 25 from the top of column 1! the conductor will write the word Nashington, D. C. so as to indicate the starting point of the passengers assigned to lower berth #2. In the second space 25 from the top of column 18 the conductor will write New York so as to indicate the destination of the two passengers in lower berth #2. The conductor will then deposit the ticket of the passenger to Philadelphia beneath the strip 29 which overlies the space 25 bearing the number 5 in column 20 and then make suitable entries in the corresponding spaces 25 of columns 21, 22 and 23 to show the number of passengers occupying upper berth #5, where they entered the car and the destination specified on their ticket. The same operation is repeated with respect to the passenger destined for Wilmington, Delaware. The tickets of the seat passengers destined for Baltimore will be inserted beneath strip 28 which overlies the third space 25 from the top in vertical column 19. lVhen all of the necessary entries have been made upon the back wall 13 it will be apparent that the total number of passengers in the car, the berths occupied by same, the starting point and the destination of each passenger can be readily ascertained. As the various passengers arrive at their destination the tickets of such passengers are removed and the entries against such tickets erased so that the device at all times gives the correct number of passengers in the car,

the berth occupied by same, their starting point and their destination. Suitable space is provided in the lower right, hand corner of the back wall 13 for the signature of the sleeping car conductor, the sleeping car porter and the train conductor, who are to sign their names at that point as "an evidence of the fact that they have examined the entries on the device and are aware of the informa tion imparted by such entries.

The device may be mounted in any .desired part of the car, it being understood that only those ofiicials will be provided with keys with which to gain access to the device who are properly authorized to do so.

lVhat I claim is A reservation indicating device for passenger cars, comprising a base having a reservation column, a leaving station column and an arriving station column, and further having transverse ruling dividing the columns into a series of subdivisions, said base being provided with a vertical series of openings therethrough the openings of the series being disposed respectively at each transverse ruling, an elastic strip extending across the base and projected through the openings and rods inserted between the strip and the rear face of the base whereby a ticket may be secured against the base in line with a desired sub-division by inserting said ticket beneath the strip.

In testimony whereof, I aflix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses.

' ABRAHAM HAMILTON. Witnesses:

D. D. MCCURDY,- H. P. STEWART.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

